


Fit to Burst

by IcyPanther



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Appendicitis, Gen, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Whump, Platonic Shance, Protective Coran (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Sick Character, Sick Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:56:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25530955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyPanther/pseuds/IcyPanther
Summary: Lance thought he had at best a stomachache and at worst the beginnings of a space stomach flu. But he actually has a third option that make the other two look kind in comparison: appendicitis.
Relationships: Coran & Lance (Voltron), Lance & Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 62
Kudos: 492





	Fit to Burst

**Author's Note:**

> **Timeline notes:** season one  
>  **Warning notes:** none

Lance was dying.

All right, he could admit that was a bit overdramatic. But it _felt_ like he was dying. His stomach had been a bit off since lunch and he thought maybe he’d eaten something that hadn’t agreed with it — even if it had been less of a knot feeling and more of a sharp cramp like he’d pulled something in training but he knew he hadn’t — but come dinner the pain had only grown worse, not better. 

He’d retired early with the thought that maybe lying down and changing out of his stiffer jeans into pajamas would help. 

It hadn’t.

Hunk had come by before bed to check on him, but other than rubbing his shoulder and making sure Lance had a large bowl if he felt the urge to vomit, there hadn’t been much he could do except get Coran and Lance had shaken his head. It was just a little stomach bug; he’d be fine. No need to make a big deal out of it. Hunk had offered to spend the night but Lance had vetoed it; if he was sick he didn’t want Hunk to catch it but, he’d promised under Hunk’s intense stare, that if he felt worse he’d come get him.

Well.

Lance felt worse.

Much worse.

The throb had morphed to a stabbing feeling and was unlike any stomach ache Lance had ever experienced before, and it was shifting, filling his entire lower stomach and abdomen. He felt hot and sweaty even though he was atop his covers and if he moved too quickly he could taste acid bile on the back of his tongue that he kept stubbornly swallowing down because he just knew it was going to hurt more to do so. 

It was time to get Hunk and then probably Coran.

At…

Almost two in the morning.

Lance bit his lip.

He really didn’t want to disturb anyone at this hour. He could wait until mornin—

 _Agony_ shot through his stomach as he shifted and he bit down harder on his lip to hold in the whimper that was threatning to break free.

No.

He needed Hunk now. 

Lance slowly uncurled, each breath sending a burst of hot fire pooling in his stomach and tears pricked his eyes.

 _Dios,_ what was this?

He pushed through it, shakily getting to his feet although he had to clutch onto the dresser as the room tried to spin around him. 

He shuffled to the door, even forgoing his slippers and robe.

The pain seemed to be abating a bit as he entered the hallway and began a turtle-like trek to Hunk’s room, one hand braced on the wall. Maybe lying down hadn’t been the right idea. Standing was definitely help—

Fire flared without warning on his next step and it took all Lance had not to scream as _pain pain pain_ assaulted him.

He was faintly aware he was falling as his legs gave out beneath him and he crashed to the ground, right side taking the brunt of his weight as his hands had not reacted fast enough to catch him.

And he realized the earlier pain had been a balm.

His vision whited out and hot blood filled his mouth as he bit through his tongue and with it came the acid taste of bile.

Lance vomited.

And the fire _roared._

He couldn’t scream now even if he’d wanted to as all of his air seemed to have been extinguished by the inferno and his tears did nothing to dampen it and the smell only made him heave again.

 _Now_ he was dying.

It was the only thing he could think.

He was going to die.

He was going to die in this hallway and no one would find him until it was too late and oh _Dios_ it hurt so much and why couldn’t he move what was wrong with him he was going to die and—

“—ance!”

Lance barely registered the sound of his name before hands were on him, trying to turn him over from where he’d fallen.

One of them pressed against his stomach.

He let out another breathless scream, throwing his head back and even the hard _clang_ as his head hit something definitely not flesh didn’t hurt compared to the raging fire trying to eat him alive from the inside.

The hands were still moving, leaving his stomach and wrapping about his shoulders, his legs, and there was a sudden weightlessness that made his stomach flip in a different way.

Over the pounding of his pulse he could make out the person talking.

“—gonna be okay, Lance, you’re gonna be okay. Just hang on for me, buddy, you’re—”

Lance’s brain sluggishly put a name to the voice.

Shiro.

Embarrassment should have been his first reaction because Shiro, his _hero,_ who he so so badly wanted to impress, was _carrying him_ and had found him lying in a pool of his own vomit because he apparently couldn’t handle a stomach ache.

But in that moment all he could feel was relief that he wasn’t going to die alone in a hallway. 

That and pain.

He kept his eyes scrunched closed, biting his lip and tasting blood and bile and trying very very hard not to vomit on Shiro because that would be even more mortifying than all of this already was.

Shiro’s pace slowed maybe a couple minutes later and Lance heard the _whoosh_ of a door and then felt bright lights sear against closed eyelids and a noticeable temperature drop.

He knew where they were.

The infirmary.

With the cryo-pods. 

That had tried to kill him.

He tensed, almost welcoming the liquid fire burning its way through his body over the bone-chilling cold of the pods, but Shiro didn’t put him in a pod but what had to be one of the cots as there was the dull crackling of sheets and something sort of soft beneath him and he tried not to curl up as any movement made the pain worse.

“Lance? You with me?” Shiro asked softly, his hands sliding away but one landed on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

Lance managed a moan eyes still squeezed shut against the too bright light.

“I think I know the answer to this already, but is it your stomach that’s hurting?”

Lance gave a short jerk of his head.

Yes.

It was on fire. 

“I’m going to take a quick look, okay?” 

Shiro pulled up his sleep shirt to expose his stomach and then gently tugged at his pants waistband to drag it down slightly. Lance whimpered as even that touch hurt and now he was confused too but he trusted Shiro and he seemed to know what he was doing so he tried to remain as still as he could even though it really, really hurt. 

Shiro’s hand ghost across his skin and then gave the barest prod.

It felt like someone had impaled him and Lance couldn’t stop the choked scream from coming out of his throat and he tried to turn away but Shiro’s hands were bracing on his hip and chest to keep him from doing so.

“I’m sorry, buddy, I’m so sorry,” Shiro murmured over the sounds of his pulse and whimpers. “I won’t do it again, I promise, I know it hurt. I’m so sorry.” 

Lance managed a nod to show he’d heard and understood because of course Shiro hadn’t wanted to hurt him. 

He’d just been…

Doing what, exactly?

“I think you’ve got appendicitis,” came the answer.

Lance froze.

What?

No.

No, he couldn’t.

Because he knew what that was. 

And he knew what would have to happen.

In space. Without a real doctor. And the closest they had was an alien who most definitely had different biology. Alteans probably didn’t even have appendixes. 

And if surgery wasn’t the answer… then the pod probably was and…

Lance trembled.

He didn’t want to go into it. 

He didn’t want surgery.

He didn’t want this.

Tears stung his eyes and he squeezed them shut even tighter as though that would keep them in, but based on Shiro’s soft murmur he hadn’t been successful.

“I’m so sorry, buddy,” Shiro said softly. “But your belly is pretty badly swollen and given some of the other symptoms from earlier… I’m sure that’s what it is. I’m gonna call Coran and see what he recommends.” Metal fingers shifted upwards and gave his shoulder another squeeze. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. Just hold tight for me. I’ll be right back.”

All Lance could do was lie there, in too much pain to move and too afraid to try. 

Shiro came back a few minutes later, quietly announced Coran was on his way, and picked up one of Lance’s hands and pulled it between his own, his thumb rubbing small circles on the back of it. Lance felt some of the tension he’d been holding start to release with the gentle ministration. 

Coran arrived not long after, announcing his presence with a soft hello and an even softer hand smoothing backwards through Lance’s bangs and carding his hair.

It was what his mamá did when he didn’t feel well and Lance had felt tears spring anew to his eyes. _Dios,_ he missed her so much. 

Coran said he was going to run a few scans but unlike Shiro he didn’t touch his swollen skin. The only thing Lance felt once was a pass of heat — he was generating a thermal image, Coran explained — and it hurt a bit but it wasn’t close to the fire, which unfortunately confirmed what Shiro had thought: he had appendicitis.

Coran and Shiro spoke quietly with one another and seemed to come to the decision of surgery. 

“It will be all right, my boy,” Coran soothed as Lance hiccuped on a whimpering sob at the news. 

Coran described what was going to happen: Lance would be put under with a strong sedative and Coran would make a careful incision and then using the scans and digital imaging would cut out and remove his appendix. Given that, as Lance had thought, Alteans did not have appendixes and the pods had never been calibrated for such a procedure, they would let his body heal naturally — it would take a few weeks but it meant no pod and Coran said he should be up and moving about within a day.

“You’ll feel just a prick now,” Coran said, and there was a tiny one on the back the hand that Shiro was not holding between his own. “And you’re going to start to feel sleepy.”

Lance could feel it already; a heaviness settling into his limbs and with it a cooling of the fire.

“And when you wake up,” Shiro gave his hand a squeeze that he barely felt, “you’ll feel better. And we’ll be right here.”

Lance tried to smile at that. Tried to say thank you.

But his lips wouldn’t move and everything was starting to go dark even though his eyes were already closed. He heard muted voices, felt the faintest touch to his cheek, and then he knew no more.

xxx

Lance came to with someone carding fingers through his hair.

It felt nice.

It was the only thing he felt and he tried to figure out why that meant something. 

The hand stilled.

Lance nudged it with his head to get it moving again and it did so with a small chuckle.

“Hey, buddy,” a voice, gently amused and soft, sounded from above. “You waking up?”

Lance blinked open heavy eyes.

Shiro looked down at him.

He blinked again.

Shiro remained.

“Coran said the sedative might make you feel sluggish for a little longer,” Shiro said, his the hand Lance traced in his hair.

Lance’s nose scrunched.

Sedative? Why would—

Oh.

Oh. 

That’s right. 

“Surgery was a success,” Shiro said and Lance felt one of his hands being squeezed. “How’re you feeling?”

Lance gave the question a onceover. He did feel sluggish and there was a very faint ache coming from his right side but… but nothing like before. 

He managed a nod, hoping it conveyed okay because his tongue didn’t want to cooperate just yet.

“I’m glad to hear it, buddy,” Shiro smiled. “All you have to focus now is resting and feeling better. Hunk’ll be back soon — he just stepped out for the bathroom — and everyone wants to see you a little later. They’re all glad you’re okay.” His hand was squeezed again. 

Lance weakly squeezed back, trying to somehow say thank you for all Shiro had done. If he hadn’t found him in the hallway…

Lance didn’t want to think of what could have happened. 

He found his eyes drooping closed and Shiro let out another soft chuckle. “Sleep, Lance. We’ll all be here when you wake up.”

And with that promise and Shiro’s gentle touch, Lance did.

**Author's Note:**

> Fic request for Lance + appendicitis with Shiro back from November 2019. Fun fact: Lance does not have a single line of spoken dialogue in the fic ;)
> 
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> 
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